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Dear Friends,
Whether you prefer to read an article, watch a video, or listen to a podcast, below you’ll find several ways to meet many of the amazing people who make the Salk Institute excel. We hope you’ll be inspired by personal stories of Salk scientists who, for example, grew up on other continents, or whose lives were shaped by the loss of a loved one, or who previously worked on a farm. There’s no singular path to a career in science, and it’s these varied motivations and journeys that help drive new discoveries and make Salk a vibrant community.
And if you’d like to meet some of our science stars in person, please join us on August 17 for the 28th annual Symphony at Salk. This premier event will feature the San Diego Symphony and guest stars David Foster, sixteen-time Grammy Award®–winning musician, composer, and producer, and Katharine McPhee, acclaimed singer and television/Broadway star. Please see below for more information and how to become a sponsor. We appreciate your support!
Warmest regards,
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Gerald Joyce
Salk Institute President
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Artificial intelligence helps scientists engineer plants to fight climate change | |
Salk scientists are fighting climate change using the natural ability of plants to draw carbon dioxide out of the air by optimizing their root systems to store more carbon for a longer period of time. To design these climate-saving plants, Professor Wolfgang Busch in Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI) is using a sophisticated new research tool created by Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira called SLEAP—an easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) software—to track multiple features of root growth. Tracking these physical root system characteristics helps scientists find genes affiliated with those characteristics and determine which genes are most beneficial to their plant designs, in turn accelerating HPI’s plans to mitigate climate change. | |
Protecting brain cells with cannabinol | |
One in every 10 individuals above the age of 65 develops an age-related neurological disorder like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, yet treatment options remain sparse for this population. A cannabis plant-derived cannabinoid called CBN (cannabinol) has recently piqued the interest of researchers, who have begun exploring the clinical potential of the milder, less psychoactive substance. In a new study, Research Professor Pamela Maher and team help explain how CBN protects the brain against aging and neurodegeneration, and how they can then use their findings to develop potential therapeutics for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). | | |
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Support High-Impact Science
Salk’s life-changing discoveries are not made by scientists alone. Only with the help of our supporters can we empower our globally renowned researchers, harness cutting-edge technology, and fuel bold initiatives to tackle some of the most challenging problems of our time.
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In our new monthly video series “From Then to When,” we bring you the unique stories of Salk researchers, from their personal journeys into science to their motivations and goals for the future. | |
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“Quite a transition from Cambridge to California,” laughs Professor Tony Hunter. “Quickly adopted local habits, I grew my hair long and started exploring the outdoors.”
Between his birth in England to his current position as a professor at Salk in San Diego, Hunter has had an enormous impact on cancer research and cell biology. In 1979, his lab discovered that phosphate can be attached to the amino acid tyrosine in proteins, in turn inspiring the development of the leukemia-targeting drug Gleevec and an entirely new class of cancer drugs that target misbehaving tyrosine kinases. Hunter continues to look for therapeutic targets for new cancer drugs—focusing on basic biology to tackle the enormous task of optimizing cancer treatment.
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Salk's new podcast Beyond Lab Walls | |
Join hosts Isabella Davis and Nicole Mlynaryk on a journey behind the scenes at the Salk Institute, delving into the captivating realms of neuroscience, plant biology, cancer research, and more. The Institute’s new podcast immerses listeners in the fascinating world of science while showcasing the brilliant minds and dedicated staff who drive its discoveries. | |
This month’s episode of Beyond Lab Walls features Laura Mainz, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Professor and Salk CSO Jan Karlseder. Always curious about the human body, Mainz was inspired by her father’s cancer diagnosis to pursue a career in cancer biology. Learn about Mainz’s journey from Germany to California, the science of stopping cancer before it starts, and how researchers cope with such emotionally draining lab work. | |
Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. | |
Our talented faculty are what make Salk’s impressive discoveries possible. To learn more about these faculty members, visit Salk Streaming’s “From Then to When” faculty profile video series. Uncover what inspires and excites scientists studying climate change, cancer biology, immune cells, and more through first-hand accounts by our world-renowned faculty. | |
Salk Streaming is the Salk Institute’s new media channel, which—in addition to “From Then to When” videos—hosts lecture recordings, podcast episodes, scientific discovery explainers, and many more videos to keep you excited and informed about today’s frontiers of science. | | |
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2024 has been declared Salk’s “Year of Healthy Aging”—and this edition of Inside Salk reflects the progress and plans Salk scientists have made in aging research. We feature faculty studying cell aging, heart health, and diseases like Alzheimer’s to see what they’ve discovered so far and what lies ahead. We also share captivating stories from faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and staff members, and celebrate recent discoveries, awards, and events on campus. | |
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The New York Times
Working with your hands is good for your brain
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Read article »
Features Professor Rusty Gage
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Business Insider
A body-clock researcher explains why he never eats high-protein meals at night, and waits 1 hour to eat breakfast
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Read article »
Features Professor Satchin Panda
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Business Insider
The allure of fasting diets for successful people—and where it falls short
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Read article »
Features Professor Satchin Panda
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From Where Does It STEM? podcast
Finding your science communication identity: Dr. Pallav Kosuri
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Listen to the podcast »
Features Assistant Professor Pallav Kosuri
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Spectrum News
Scientists make advancement on discovering male birth control
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Read article »
Features Professor Ronald Evans
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CBS8
How the San Diego Botanic Garden is helping to advance Western medicine
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View video »
Features Research Professor Todd Michael
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Salk Professor Satchin Panda named 2023 AAAS Fellow | | |
 
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Panda has been named a 2023 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Panda is among 502 new AAAS Fellows spanning 24 scientific disciplines who were nominated by their peers for their distinguished efforts to advance science. The election recognizes his contributions to the field of chronobiology, particularly for applications to obesity and human health.
Read more »
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Salk scientists win Arabidopsis lifetime achievement research awards | |
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Professors Joanne Chory and Joseph Ecker were chosen by the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) as inaugural Arabidopsis Community Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. The Salk duo join three other outstanding awardees whose "achievements in research, community service, and mentoring have spanned decades and positively impacted plant biology and society in numerous ways."
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Salk Assistant Professor Christina Towers earns Lustgarten Award | | |
 
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Towers has earned a 2024 Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award, which aims to reduce the gap in funding received by early-career women and underrepresented minority scientists who conduct research that could contribute to a better understanding and treatment of pancreatic cancer. Recipients are awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant for meritorious basic, translational, clinical, or population sciences research.
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Prebys Foundation awards $500,000 grants to Salk scientists | |
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As part of its Excellence in Scientific Research Leadership Program, the Prebys Foundation awarded Assistant Professor Dannielle Engle and Professor Tatyana Sharpee $500,000 grants to fund their individual research. The grants will be dispersed over two years and were part of 14 grants the foundation awarded to medical researchers, aimed at providing opportunities to women pursuing a thriving research career in San Diego.
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Salk postdoctoral researcher earns 2025 Biochemical Society award | | |
 
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Tatsuya Nobori, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Professor Joseph Ecker, was named a 2025 Early Career Research Award winner for the “impact of research carried out in the molecular biosciences by early career scientists.” He is being recognized for his impressive work studying plant-microbe interactions, as well as for his development of a new method called PHYTOMap, which allows the 3D analysis of gene expression in whole plant tissues.
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Jonas Salk Prize 2024 awarded to Edgar Morin | | |
 
Image copyright: Terence Ward | |
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On the anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine, the Human Futures Foundation awarded philosopher and sociologist Edgar Morin with the Jonas Salk Prize. Morin spent 1969 at Salk, where he met many other distinguished Salk members like Jacob Bronowski, Francis Crick, Gregory Bateson, Jacques Monod, and Leo Szilard. The Jonas Salk Prize aims to recognize individuals who have exemplified, in Jonas Salk’s words, “wisdom in action,” and who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of humanity.
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August 17: Symphony at Salk | |
This year’s artists for the 28th annual Symphony at Salk will be David Foster, sixteen-time Grammy Award®–winning musician, composer, and producer, and Katharine McPhee, acclaimed singer and television/Broadway star. We are delighted to host the powerhouse duo, along with the San Diego Symphony, for a stellar performance and unforgettable night on August 17. Sponsorships are available now. | |
May 3: Roger Guillemin Celebration of Life | |
In memory of Salk Distinguished Professor Emeritus Roger Guillemin, the Salk Institute is hosting a Celebration of Life with a series of scientific lectures. Guillemin was the recipient of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, a neuroendocrinology pioneer, and a beloved mentor to and friend of the Salk and scientific community. Sign up below to attend the lectures on Zoom or receive a recording after the event. | |
April 10: Rising Stars Symposium | |
We held our first annual Rising Stars Symposium this month to celebrate the outstanding and underrepresented postdoctoral researchers at Salk. The event was a celebration of their contributions to science and an opportunity for career recruitment, featuring interdisciplinary speakers and a reception. | |
April 23: DISCOVER Symposium | |
Another first annual symposium was held this month at Salk, the Diverse Inclusive Scientific Community Offering a Vision for an Ecosystem Reimagined (DISCOVER) Symposium, which was designed to bring diverse talent to Salk and build a supportive, collaborative, and inclusive community for future postdoctoral candidates from across the United States. The candidates presented their research, connected with other trainees, participated in various professional development panels, and networked with potential Salk faculty advisors. | | |
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Your support powers groundbreaking research, and the people who bring it to life. | |
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This month, Professor Wolfgang Busch and Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira paired up to apply Pereira’s artificial intelligence software SLEAP to plant roots.
Their collaboration will accelerate the work of Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative, which plans to use the natural ability of plants to draw carbon dioxide out of the air to fight climate change by optimizing their root systems to store more carbon for longer.
A key model plant in their research, and in plant biology more generally, is Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering weed in the mustard family.
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About this newsletter
Salk’s email newsletter is published monthly with updates on recent scientific publications, media coverage, awards, grants, events, and other timely information for Salk supporters and science enthusiasts.
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